Best 6 Elsies Chocolate Mousse Cake Recipes

ELSIE'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F and prepare two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick spray.
• Mix together the cake ingredients and beat on low for 30 seconds until combined and then another 2 minutes on medium. Pour cake batter into the prepared 9 inch pans.
• Bake at 350F for 30-35 minutes or until cake is done. Cool cake for 10-20 minutes in pans and then remove from pans and cool thoroughly.
• In a large mixer bowl, beat the condensed milk and chocolate until well blended.
• Gradually beat in water then pudding mix until smooth.
• Chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Beat again until smooth.
• Fold in whipped cream (which has been previously stiffly whipped).
• Chill again for at least 1 hour.
• Place one cake layer on a serving plate and top with 1 1/2 cups of the mousse mixture (a metal spatula works best for even spreading).
• Top with remaining cake layer and frost sides and top of cake with remaining mousse.
• Chill for 30 minutes before serving.
• Garnish with fresh berries or shaved chocolate ribbons if desired.
• STORE covered in the refrigerator.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Grated chocolate, cookie crumbs or chopped nuts for coating the sides of cake, if desired
• Cake:
• Lightly coat the insides of 3 9 by 1 1/2-inch cake pans with melted butter. Line each pan with parchment paper, then lightly coat the parchment paper with more melted butter. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Heat 1-inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place remaining butter and 8 ounces semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Allow to heat for 10 to 12 minutes. remove from the heat, stir until smooth, and hold at room temperature.
• Place the egg yolks and 3/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on high until slightly thickened and lemon-colored, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high for an additional 2 minutes.
• While the egg yolks are beating, whisk 4 egg whites in a large stainless steel bowl until stiff, but not dry, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold the melted chocolate mixture into the beaten egg yolk mixture. Add a quarter of the beaten egg whites and stir to incorporate, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans, spreading evenly, and bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes. (During baking, the surface of the cakes will form a crust; this crust will normally collapse when the cakes are removed from the oven.) Invert the cakes onto cake circles, remove the parchment paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Filling:
• To prepare the dark chocolate cream, heat 1-inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place the semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap and allow to heat for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a stainless steel bowl and set aside until needed. Place heavy cream and sugar in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a well-chilled balloon whip. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Use a hand whisk to combine 1/4 of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate until smooth and completely incorporated. Add the combined whipped cream and chocolate to the remaining whipped cream and use a rubber spatula to fold together.
• Ganache:
• Heat the heavy cream and the butter in a 3-quart saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Place the semisweet chocolate in a 3-quart stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Chill 1 cup of ganache for at least 1 hour. Remaining ganache should be at room temperature
• To assemble cake:
• Arrange one of the cake layers in a 9-inch springform pan, evenly spread half the filling over the cake and top with the second layer. Add remaining filling and top with the remaining cake layer. Chill 2 hours. Transfer chilled cup of ganache to pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Remove cake from springform pan and coat sides and top with room temperature ganache. Using chilled ganache, decoratively pipe stars on top of cake. If desired, coat sides of cake with grated chocolate, cookie crumbs of chopped nuts.

BAKED CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix boiling water and cocoa powder for cake together in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, sift flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, pour in oil, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and cooled cocoa mixture. Mix using a wooden spoon just until smooth.
• Sprinkle cream of tartar over egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Beat using an electric mixer on high speed until very stiff peaks form. Pour cake batter over egg white mixture and fold gently using a whisk with an under-and-over motion; be sure not to overmix, but to also fully incorporate ingredients. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cake cool in the pan for 1 1/2 hours. Loosen with a spatula and transfer to a plate.
• Add cold water to a glass bowl and sprinkle gelatin on top; allow to soften. Place bowl over a saucepan filled with simmering water. Heat and stir until gelatin is fully dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, cocoa, vanilla extract, and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Beat mixture using an electric mixer until stiff; keep mousse in refrigerator until needed.
• Cut a 1-inch slice crosswise from the top of the cooled cake and set aside. Outline a cavity in the cake using a sharp knife, leaving 1-inch walls around cake side and bottom. Carefully remove cake from the cavity using a spoon; reserve.
• Measure 2 1/2 cups of mousse filling and fold in gelatin. Fill the cake cavity and replace top of cake. Mix 1/2 cup filling with cake crumbs and fill center hole of cake. Frost the top and sides with remaining filling. Refrigerate until set, 2 to 3 hours.

EASTER CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and sit the cake ring on top. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl. Whisk the egg whites with the sugar in a separate bowl, or a mixer, until stiff peaks form.
• Once stiff, use a large metal spoon to stir one-quarter of the whites into the yolks, then pour the mixture back into the remaining egg whites, and gently fold to combine. Sieve in the cocoa powder and gently fold again until just combined.
• Pour into the cake ring and level out with a spatula or spoon. Bake for 15-20 mins or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the ring - the middle will sink.
• Once the cake has cooled, slide a knife around the inside of the ring to release the cake and lift the ring off. Trim the edge of the cake with scissors. Clean the ring and place it back around the sponge on a cake board, or on a cake stand.
• Boil the kettle. In a large clean bowl, or a freestanding mixer, whisk the egg whites and sugar until medium peaks form.
• Set a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and melt the chocolate to around 50C. In a separate bowl, whisk 50ml hot water with the cocoa powder, then add the yolks. Tip onto the melted chocolate, but don't stir it in yet.
• Briskly whisk one-quarter of the egg whites into the melted chocolate and egg yolk mixture - this ensures that the mousse has an even texture. Use a spatula to fold in the remaining egg whites until fully combined.
• Pour the mousse onto the sponge, then chill for at least 2 hrs or up to 24 hrs. Meanwhile, make the chocolate croustillant, white chocolate feathers and spun sugar nest, if using (see opposite).
• Melt half the chocolate in a bowl over gently simmering water. Once melted, stir in the remaining chocolate, then remove from the heat. Leave to cool for 5 mins. Using a palette knife, spread the chocolate across the acetate band in a thin, even layer to cover. Leave to set for 1-2 mins.
• Lift off the cake ring, then wrap the acetate around the cake so that the chocolate touches the mousse. Stick it tightly and hold for a second to make sure it stays in place - don't worry if it overlaps a little. Chill for 30 mins. Meanwhile, make the butterscotch sauce (see opposite).
• To assemble the cake, remove from the fridge and peel off the acetate carefully, breaking off any overlapping chocolate.
• Spoon half the lemon butterscotch sauce over the mousse, then top with the spun sugar nest and chocolate feathers, if using. Add the shards of broken chocolate croustillant and a decorative egg, if you like. Serve within 1 hr with the remaining sauce on the side.
• Melt 50g chopped white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Use a small palette knife to spread a thin layer of the chocolate on a piece of baking parchment in a feather shape. You can set the parchment on the inside of an upturned cake tin to set the chocolate feather in a curved shape, if you like. Once set, peel off the parchment and use a small knife to notch the edges to give them a feathery effect.
• Fill the sink with cold water and cover an area of your work surface (about 1m x 50cm) with baking parchment or cling film. Put 150g fondant icing and 20g liquid glucose in a saucepan over a medium heat. Cook until the fondant melts, then increase the heat and bubble until it turns to a deep caramel. Quickly cool down the pan by dipping the base in the cold water in the sink, but make sure no water splashes into the pan. This should stop the sugar from cooking and thicken the caramel slightly. Using 2 forks, pull strands of caramel from the pan, and flick them quickly from a height over your covered work surface to create multiple thin sugar threads. Keep going until you have a large mass - enough to make a nest. If the caramel starts to set, put it back on the heat to soften it a little. Use your hands to shape the sugar threads gently into a loose cylinder, then wrap into a nest shape. Will keep for a couple of days in a cool, dry container. If it comes into contact with any moisture or heat, it will dissolve.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C/gas 4. Mix the sugar and cocoa in a bowl. In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter with the chocolate and glucose over a gentle heat. Once melted, whisk in the sugar and cocoa powder mixture and 50ml cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for 30 secs-1 min until slightly thickened.
• Spread a third of the mixture onto a piece of baking parchment on a baking sheet. Lay another piece of parchment on top and, using a rolling pin, roll out the croustillant as thin as possible. Set in the freezer for 5 mins until the top sheet of parchment peels off easily. Repeat with the rest of the mixture, or freeze for another day.
• Peel off the top layer of parchment and bake in the centre of the oven for 5 mins. When it is bubbling, it's cooked. Cool completely before breaking into large pieces.
• In a saucepan, combine the sugar, liquid glucose and 1 tbsp water. Set over a gentle heat until the sugar dissolves, but do not stir. Once dissolved, bring to the boil and cook until the sugar syrup turns into a caramel and is lightly golden. Warm the lemon zest and juice in the microwave on High for 1 min, then heat the whipping cream in a separate bowl in the microwave on High for 2 mins. Once the caramel is golden, pour in the lemon and cream. Boil for 30 secs, then set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge, covered with cling film, until needed

MAIDA HEATTER'S CHOCOLATE MOUSSE TORTE

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch glass pie plate. Dust it with bread crumbs or cocoa powder. Set aside.
• Place the chopped chocolate in the top of a small double boiler over water over low heat. Bring it to a low simmer. Meanwhile, in a cup or small bowl, dissolve the coffee in the 1/4 cup boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover and cook over low heat, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate is almost melted. Remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. Let cool slightly. (Alternatively, place chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Dissolve the coffee in the boiling water and pour it over the chocolate. Cover with a plate or kitchen towel and let stand for 5 minutes. Vigorously whisk until the chocolate is melted and smooth. If there are still bits of unmelted chocolate, microwave in 15-second bursts, whisking between, until smooth and fully melted.)
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the yolks at high speed until they are pale, thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue to beat at high speed for 5 minutes more until very thick. Reduce speed to low, and add the vanilla and cooled chocolate, scraping the sides of the mixing bowl as necessary. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Wash the whisk attachment and mixing bowl.
• In the mixing bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff but not dry. Gradually, in two or three small additions, gently fold half the egg whites into the chocolate, then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining whites just until no whites show. Handling as little as possible, gently reserve about 4 cups of the mousse in a separate medium bowl; cover and refrigerate.
• Transfer the rest of the mousse into the pie plate; it will barely reach the top. Gently level and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the heat, then leave it in the oven for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. (The mousse will rise during baking and then, while cooling, it will sink in the middle, leaving a high rim.) Wash the mixing bowl and whisk attachment and place in the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
• When the baked mousse is completely cool, remove reserved mousse from refrigerator. Handling as little as possible, transfer the chilled mousse to the center of the baked mousse. Mound it slightly higher in the center, but be careful to handle as little as possible or it will lose the air beaten into it. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 hours.
• Make the whipped cream: In the chilled mixing bowl with the chilled whisk attachment, whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla on high speed until it holds a defined shape. Spread over the unbaked part of the mousse, excluding the rim; refrigerate. (Another way of applying the whipped cream: Use a pastry bag fitted with a medium star tube and pipe a lattice pattern over the top of the pie and a border around the edge.) Coarsely grate some semisweet chocolate over the top before serving, if desired. The torte is best eaten the day it's made, but it's not bad the next day.

INTENSE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Position the oven rack in lower center of the oven. Cover the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with a double layer of foil. Using a microwave oven or double boiler, melt together chocolate and butter; set aside to cool slightly.
• In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar until pale, frothy and increased in volume. Whisk in brandy, then fold in chocolate mixture. Place a kettle of water over heat, and bring it to a boil. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites and salt until thick. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and continue to whisk until stiff and shiny but not dry.
• Fold about 1/2 cup whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Gently fold in remaining whites, being careful not to let the mixture deflate. Pour mixture into lightly-buttered springform pan, and place pan in a roasting pan. Add boiling water to roasting pan to come halfway up side of springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes; top of cake will be hard and inside will be gooey.
• Remove cake pan from water, and place on a rack to cool completely. Unwrap foil and remove side of springform pan. Place cake on a serving platter. Just before serving, dust top with confectioners' sugar passed through a sieve.